


Not A Cliché

by ScarlettPriestess



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), tom holland - Fandom
Genre: Acting, Business, Gen, Marvel Universe, Real Life, tom holland - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24197314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettPriestess/pseuds/ScarlettPriestess
Summary: When an actor runs into a business... Will it really be a cliché?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! My first Tom Holland fan fiction! I do not own Tom Holland (Nobody does actually, lol) and the actors or persons mentioned in the story unless I've made them.  
> The brands, songs, places, that will be mentioned in the story have no affiliation with this story. I do not own them.  
> Tom is 26-years-old in this story.

**Not A Cliché**

**Beaufort Street**  
London, 12:31 pm

* * *

“Sir, ma'am. They’re here.” Sara informed her superiors.

“Right on time.” The lady said as she glanced at her Cartier watch. “Well, send them in.” As Sara went out to invite the client in, both the bosses stood up to welcome him and as he came in, the lady extended her hand with a smile.

“H-Hey! You’re...!” Their brown-haired client with glassy chestnut eyes chirped in a thick British accent as he looked at the woman standing in front of him.

“Is there something wrong?” The man beside her asked while his colleague was completely startled by the exclamation of their client.

“Uh....” The boy struggled at the question and glanced at his assistant, who looked just as surprised as him.

* * *

**See you soon!**


	2. Prelude

**Not A Cliché**

***47 minutes ago***

A Mercedes-Benz-S-Class stopped in front of a tall skyscraper office. The door opened and a woman got out. She wore a V-neck cream coloured midi suit that hugged her figure and a black belt that highlighted her waist. Her elbow long sleeves showcased her wristwatch. And finally, with Apricot-hued heels and a classy bag- her look was complete.

She was speaking with someone while getting out of the car- her ebony hair, that was left open but was effortlessly styled, hid the Bluetooth in her ear and as soon as she was making her way towards the building, someone bumped into her.

"Oh! Shit, I am very sorry." A man apologised in a chirpy voice.

The woman looked thoroughly shocked by this- her eyes widened and mouth agape. "Oh shit, shit shit!" She exclaimed but quickly recovered and touched her left ear as she spoke further, "Sara, I am...Sara! Listen to me! I am coming upstairs and take out a dress for me. I will tell you later what happened, just do as I say. Please.Thank you."

She pressed her lips, her eyebrows crossed and reached out to her purse and just then, the man offered her a handkerchief. "Here. I am terribly sorry. I just was not looking where I was going."

' _Clearly.'_ She thought and shook her head upon receiving his handkerchief. 

The man quietly took his handkerchief back, sort of let down that she didn't take it. _'Shit! This woman looks like she means business! She's probably going to lash at me now. Bloody hell. Why did I have to do this?!'_

"It's completely okay, sir. Really. Don't worry about it." She could hear the panic in his voice when he spoke earlier and politely told him not to worry.

The girl glanced at the man who was standing in front of her- A navy blue cap rested on his head, and a pair of brown shades covered his orbs. He had thrown on a black t-shirt and well-fitting jeans. And she saw that the light brown blazer he was wearing, had gotten some of the coffee stains as well.

She observed all of this in a moment. Her job required her to do a quick but detailed assessment of people at a single glance.

"I would suggest doing something about that stain. Unless it's linen, you're screwed." She pointed out.

Surprised, his eyes darted to look at his certain apparel and found the dark patches on it. "I _am_ screwed! Uh... I-I mean, it's not linen!" The boy stupidly replied back.

 _'What is he, a high schooler?'_ She hopelessly smiled at him again and proceeded to enter the building before he could say anything else.

"Ah, I really am hopeless..." The boy mentally slapped himself at his stupid remarks, as he watched her go, but he was glad that she didn't yell at him or make him pay for the damages and whatnot. _'Well, she would've made me if she knew who I was.'_

But enough with her. He first had to see what to do about his jacket.

"Karen." He called out to his assistant but she gave him a nod saying that she had already contacted the required person and that "help" was on its way.

Relieved and now having the liberty for some alone time with his thoughts, his eyes flickered back to the place where the woman he had met was. His gaze remained there for a while before drowning in his phone.

***abababab***

"Thank you, Sara. It's good that I keep spare outfits here, you know because of accidents like this." The girl said as she straightened her grey midi skirt with a black, full-sleeved turtleneck top. She assessed her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom, as her assistant stood behind her, seeing if her boss was missing something.

"I think this is okay, no?"

"Yes, it is," Sara said and looked at her watch. "And you still have a good 20 minutes before the meeting." She glanced at her boss, who was straightening the raven belt around her waist.

"Perks of time management. That is why one should always be coordinated in their life. Nothing can go wrong then. Always remember that, Sara."

The ginger-haired assistant nodded and made a mental note of this. Her boss would always give her such obvious bits of advice. However, aren't those typical things, that we always overlook, end up being as crucial as anything? And so, Sara couldn't help but agree with her smart superior.

She smiled at her boss. This job was definitely worth it. Not only because Sara was working under a woman who was the Chief of Staff of their entire company, but also because her boss was soon to be expected to acquire a higher C-level position. And working for her indeed gave you vast experience, good pay and perhaps the possibility of Karen assuming her boss's position when she gets promoted.

Meanwhile, Sara's superior squinted her eyes as she glanced at her reflection and was satisfied that she did look okay. Not that she put that much of a thought in her outfits, but when meeting clients, she always bore in mind to make a good impression. ' _It's not about looking jaw-dropping sexy, but presentable._ _'_

"Alright then." She said and entered her office, and took a seat in her swivel chair while her assistant sat at her table that was somewhat away. Sara saw that her boss was looking down at her table, clearly wondering if there was anything else to do in the remaining 20 minutes. _'Very much like her. She's so hardworking. I hope I get to be like her.'_

"Ma'am, you don't have any pending work or anything that you need to check. You're fine for now."

"One can never have no work. There is always something that needs to be done." She replied back as she glanced at her assistant. "Or that's what my mom used to say about homework."   
Sara giggled and her boss did the same.

"Astrid," A man peeked through the office doors as both women looked at him. "May I come in?"

"Why yes, Ashton," Astrid replied mockingly. "What a polite man he is, always asking whether or not to enter the office. Even though he basically owns the company. Isn't that right, Sara?" Sara just uneasily smiled as Astrid and Ashton looked at her. Sara had a huge crush on him and was trying her best to hide it. But it wouldn't matter anyway since he was her boss. ' _Ugh, what a cliché.'_

"I know right. The things you need to do to leave a good impression ." The dapper man replied with his raspy voice as he walked towards Astrid.

"I guess." She replied as he took a seat in front of her, his hazel eyes peering at her.

"So, is our client here?" He said as Astrid didn't reply much to his previous comment.

"No, they're not here yet," Sara replied on cue.

Ashton shifted his gaze at Astrid again, who was glancing at the wall-clock. "Doesn't matter. As long as they are on time." He said.

"Yes," Astrid replied back and opened one of the files on her table.

"So..." The brunet man continued. "Tom Holland, huh?"

"Yeah. The man who has climbed the stairs of success very swiftly. And hopefully, the man who will become our brand ambassador." Astrid continued gazing at the papers beneath her.

"He will be. There's no reason not to. Plus, we're the dream team. He will _have_ to be our ambassador."

Sara watched Astrid take a breath and close the file. She looked so charming and intimidating. Someone who can challenge you intellectually and appeal-wise. "Let us hope so. Why don't we head to the meeting room till then? Sara, inform us first when they arrive here." The assistant nodded as she saw her bosses leave the office.

"You look beautiful, Astrid." Ashton complimented as they exited her office, his hands in his suit's pockets.

"Thank you very much. You look handsome, like always." She said as she looked outside the windows that showed a grey sky.

Ashton glanced at the lady beside him and laughed which showed his perfect set of teeth. "Why do I always get the feeling that your compliments are just a formality?"

"What you think is not my issue. You always look handsome. I say nothing but the truth." Astrid replied nonchalantly.

 _'Yeah, but you could say it with some feelings.'_ He thought with a smile. "Well, that's one truth that ain't ugly!" He joked.

"You know, when a man takes pride in being handsome, it never bodes well for him. He looks like a pretentious, too-full-of-himself clown." Astrid commented as she gave a side glance to Ashton who strolled along but had never taken his eyes off her.

"Hey now, don't go all Elizabeth Bennet on me." She smiled at this. "But to be honest, nobody minds if the pretentious, too-full-of-himself clown is hot like a Greek God." Astrid nudged her head- agreeing with him, and he continued. "Instead, I think he does immense community service... by blessing everyone with his sexy features." He smirked and laughed.

Astrid laughed too, not as a formality though, and Ashton was grateful for that. He just stared at her blossomed face.

"There's no denying that for sure." She admitted. "I hope we don't find this Tom Holland like that... It certainly would be a put off for the deal."

Ashton moved a hand through his short hair. "Yeah, it won't be good. But I think arrogant is the new sexy."

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, that's so shallow but so true as well."

"I know, but still, he is going to be a good choice. He is a notable actor and has a large fan base from a variety of age groups. What his personality is like, we won't have to care about it much. I don't think we'll even meet him after this, except for some occasions."

Astrid narrowed her eyes and pouted. "Yes, yes, Mr Know-It-All. Even I know that."

Ashton took his hands out of the pocket and raised them defensively. "Really, what does a guy have to do here to impress someone?"

 _'Well, for starters, you don't be the boss's son.'_ Astrid smiled as she thought.

Ashton bit his lip when she had, again, managed to dodge his line by just smiling. _'She really is a tough cookie... So cute!'_ He thought with a moe face.

He never used to get discouraged with such let-downs, because even after that, he knew exactly how to get Astrid back in the mood. "You seem really excited about the deal."

Her face shone with the mention of the deal, and Ashton laughed from inside. She looked like the star put on a Christmas tree. "I am. It's my... _Our_ first time sealing a deal with a celebrity. Such a milestone for us, isn't it?" She hadn't realized that Ashton was walking slowly, subconsciously making her do the same since they were talking.

 _'For us, eh?'_ He grinned. "Yeah. I am a bit anxious though." He honestly admitted. "But I guess it's nothing we can't handle."

"Uh-huh. We are the dream team, as you call us." She gave a smirk, and oh god, even though she wanted to go for an 'its-on' smirk, it looked more like a 'daddy-has-to-take-us-to-Disneyland-I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer' kind. And it just warmed Ashton's heart.

"Is that a smirk I see on your face?" He still asked as his pace fastened.

"Yup."

The sound of their heels and shoes echoed through the hallways as they approached the meeting room. The employees that had passed them knew that their bosses were on their way to make a deal and oh, from their faces, it was pretty clear they were going to seal it. Seal it for good.

Astrid's smirk became contagious as now Ashton had one on his face too. "Well then, the game is on."

***ababab***

As Astrid sat beside Ashton, she glanced at the deal papers once more. Her breathing was normal but she felt thrilled for the contract.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. It was Ashton with his smartphone's screen pointed towards her.

"Eew, what's that?" Astrid asked in a disgusted tone.

Bewildered and panicked in a moment, he retracted the phone with super-sonic speed. "WAIT! WHAT DID I SHOW YOU??"

His face became confused when it was indeed the meme he wanted her to see. His glance moved back to Astrid who was staring at him with a cheeky smile and gave him a wink.

"What a minx." He called her and she laughed, and just then Sara entered the room, informing the arrival of the clients.

Both of them nodded with a smile, and Astrid checked her watch. _'12:30. Right on time.'_

She got up along with her colleague as her client and two other individuals walked in. Astrid glanced at the trio and saw that the brown-haired man, which she obviously recognized to be their client, was almost surprised to see her. _'What's with that reaction? Is there something on my face?'_

"H-Hey! You're...!" Their client exclaimed in his distinctive high-pitched chirpy voice.

Astrid's brow quizzed while Ashton questioned, "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh..." Tom trailed off, confused whether to mention it or not while the others kept looking at him.

"Ahem, sir?" His assistant brought him back to the real world in the most subtle way possible.

"Yeah, yeah. Uhm, yes." He licked his pink lips while nodding as he got the message. "I... I saw you earlier, ma'am." Tom, a bit composed now, replied in his normal voice.

"Me?" As Tom nodded with a smile, Astrid searched her memory for any signs of meeting THE Tom Holland. _'Yeah, as if my life was that worthy to see celebrities every day.'_ She thought.

Her eyebrows crossed- displaying utter efforts for any reminder, "I am sorry, Mr Holland. My memory is failing me." She replied truthfully as she gave up.

"That's quite understandable." He said as, with the cap and shades he wore beforehand, it would've been difficult to recognise him now. "Um... We bumped into each other today, some half-hour ago. I spilt coffee on you?" He asked with an apologetic face.

Astrid's face lightened like a bulb, while Ashton looked amused. The mystery of the accident had now been solved for Sara but still, she hadn't expected Tom Holland to be the 'coffee spiller'. "That was you?!" Astrid asked with surprise.

Both of them laughed, and Tom nodded. "Yeah. I am very sorry again."

"It's completely fine, sir. I just needed an excuse to painstakingly change into another outfit again." All of them laughed.

Tom's eyes never left Astrid but in a moment, he retracted them. "Oh yeah, before I forget- This is my lawyer, Ms Lily Richards and my personal assistant Ms Karen Green- who does a very good job of keeping me on my toes, as you all must've seen just now." Tom introduced the two that came with him, and they both nodded as they were named.

"I am sure she does," Astrid said with a smile. "This is my colleague, Mr Ashton Brawley, and my personal assistant, Ms Sara Anderson. And I am Astrid Williams." Astrid shook hands with everyone and so did Ashton and Karen. _'Is she an American?'_ Tom thought as he now specifically noticed Astrid's accent.

"Well, then, shall we all take a seat?" Ashton asked and shared a look with Astrid that said 'Good start, eh?'

Astrid returned the look. "Now that I remember, I hope your jacket is okay." She asked as everyone was settling on their seats.

Tom nodded. "Yeah, it is. My assistant here quickly took care of it." Astrid nodded and Karen smiled. "...Now that I think about it, perhaps I shouldn't have brought up the bumping thing. Heh, heh." He replied with a slight uneasiness.

"Why?" Astrid asked.

The actor shifted his neck a bit and straightened out his jacket. "Looks a bit unprofessional. It could've made things awkward."

Ashton laughed. "Well, it didn't, so don't worry, Mr Holland. Actually, I think because of you mentioning it, we're off to a great start."

"Yes, so it seems." Tom smiled with relief and glanced at Astrid who returned the gesture. _'It really does seem like a great start.'_

* * *

**-16 May, 2020**


	3. Réunion

**Not A** **Cliché**

  
**Le château d'éclatant**

**Los Angeles, 8:39 pm**   
**\-----------------------**

Laying on the soft bed and watching some tv while scrolling through his phone, Tom sure was taking a rest after the last day of his three-day photo shoot.

He would be leaving tomorrow afternoon for London after having a meeting with a director for his upcoming movie. Back at London, the reading and filming of the second sequel of 'Chaos Walking' would begin the upcoming Monday.

Apart from his professional engagements, Tom had made the most of being in LA by catching up and having lunch today with his friend, Zendaya.

Before any of you start, let it be clarified that they were not dating. Sure, Tom liked her a lot back when they were introduced, which was when they were a couple of 20-year-olds. He liked her personality and the way she managed her fame. She was down-to-earth, and he admired that about her.

However, you cannot clap with only one hand. Zendaya had never responded to Tom's feelings. Even when Tom, through his gestures, would try to achieve closeness, she would effortlessly slide them away. He had gone for subtle hints at first- from those interviews he had with her to the time he spent with her behind the camera, Tom had done everything in his capacity to express his affection.

And finally, to leave no room for doubt, he confessed to her as well, but she politely declined and asked him to keep their friendship as it was before.

Maybe her refusal was for the sake of professionalism or for proving the press wrong by instilling the fact that two fellow actors _can_ remain friends, or maybe she didn't have any feelings for him at all. Well, whatever the reason may be, he and Zendaya were never getting in any romantic relationship. That was the bottom line.

Tom accepted this. It wasn't as if he was hopelessly in love with her. He could recover from this 'like,' thing. And he indeed had.

After getting rejected by Zendaya, Tom didn't exactly spend his days wailing about the 'Euphoria' star. Instead, it just enabled him to look for a romantic interest that may appear on his "radar".

And so, in the last three years, he had dated Amy Swiss, a world-renowned American model for five months before things fell through. Then he had a fling with Iris Brawford, a British actress with whom he had shot a series of commercials. Then he was involved with Kate Riley, a British-French fashion designer, for whose collection Tom had walked the runway. Like with Iris, it was never serious between Kate and Tom and couldn't go beyond the fashion show, because of Kate primarily working in France.

Stella Laureal, his current girlfriend, was a two-time British Wimbledon champion and an Olympic silver medalist. He had attended her Wimbledon finals with his mother, and that's when he had seen her. Awed with her athletic beauty, he didn't waste any time in pursuing the sports player and finally landed a dinner date with her, initiating their relationship.

Of course, this 8-months-old relationship was kept from the media. None of them wanted excessive attention from their over-excited fans or the paparazzi. They both were at a good point in their careers, and they wanted to keep rising. And the unwanted interest towards their romance would only be a pain in the neck. Both of them had readily agreed for this. Other than their same age, the attitude of keeping their lives private, and their ambitions for their careers attracted them towards each other.

Other than his relationships, Tom's career in Hollywood had really thrived. Apart from his involvement with Marvel (Spider-Man's third instalment, Avengers movie, appearances in some of the other superheroes' movies), he had really taken on some great jobs.

After doing serious or grey movies for a long time, Tom had done a romantic comedy with Lili Reinan, which was a blockbuster hit.

He had teamed up with Dakota Johnson for a movie as romantic interests, but the directors thought that their age difference was quite visible and would not go well together. So, looking at their awkward personalities, the two were offered the role of siblings in the same movie, and the writers changed the whole script and made it a family drama with Robert Downey Jr. playing their father and Jennifer Aniston as their mother. The comedy film went on to be a hit, and now even a sequel was in the talks.

Tom and Timothée Chalamét had come together for a spy movie, and combining the fan bases of both the actors with the flawless script and direction, it was applauded by the audiences as well the critics.

Later, with Emily Blunt he performed at Broadway for a great play named 'Help Is On Its Way' about when a lady, (Emily) who has been abandoned by her children, meets a young boy (Tom) and her life changes entirely. It was a beautiful play and made everyone reach out for tissues (Which marked the success of the play, according to Tom).

However, there was this one military movie he had done that failed miserably due to faulty direction. Even Tom's fan base couldn't be of much help, and the movie couldn't even cover the production costs. But Tom said that the movie had given him some of the best experiences.

His charity, The Brothers Trust was going well, with his extended celebrity circle chiming in every now and then for its promotion.

Tom's brother, Harry Holland was now in Australia, making beautiful, heart-touching movies. Sam, his twin brother, was doing theatre and was in a serious relationship with his lovely girlfriend, Elysia Dayman. Paddy was now acting in small indie movies, taking time-to-time advice from his parents and brothers.

Tom scratched his leg with the toes of the left foot and let out a yawn, but his eyes never left the screen. Talk about dedication. "Hmm... Haz is in Mauritius, eh? That's one dope picture." He thought as he double-clicked on Harrison's picture from a swim shoot.

Harrison had established himself as 'the ocean' because of his quiet and silent demeanour. With the leading roles he had done in two tv-series and a movie, his credibility had been proven. And unlike Tom, who had become known for box-office blockbusters, Harrison had gone for classy and thought-provoking works.

His popularity had now come to the same level as Tom's, and the craze over him showed no signs of slowing down. Though he still hadn't achieved worldwide recognition, he made a home in the hearts of the audience with his intriguing works.

Even after so many years, Tom and Harrison had managed to be friends and they were grateful for it.

Well, no need to talk about Zendaya for she had never looked back at all. Season 3 of 'Euphoria' proved to be a grand success along with many of her projects. Zendaya had maintained her reputation as an iconic individual and remained a public figure that youngsters could look up to. Her number of projects remained lesser than Tom, but only because she looked for high-quality content. However, many other things such as her involvements in many brands and socially reforming platforms kept her busy for sure.

Zendaya still wasn't romantically involved with anyone but had been speculated to be so with some of her co-stars including Robbie Amell, Colton Haynes, and so on.

Jacob Batalon, after Spider-Man: Far From Home, wasn't seen much till the year 2020. Turned out, he had multiple works coming out from the Autumn of 2020, and hence was busy for it. He had received appreciation for his comedic side-kick roles and had done a supernatural series.

"Ahm..." Tom moved his glance as it hurt from looking at his phone for so long. He clicked the lock button on his phone and kept it on his side while staring meaninglessly at the TV.

A deep sigh left his mouth and he woke up from his bed and proceeded towards the balcony while stretching.

As he stood there, he felt soothed seeing the grand swimming pool which was highlighted in blue lights. The water moved quietly, and there were some ripples created by the people sitting near the pool. Some of them were hanging out, laughing, making memories while one couple was feverishly making out- making far better memories. _'Free porn.'_ Tom thought and laughed.

He kept staring at them for a while but he got distracted when a cold breeze greeted him.

"Ah..." His fingers gripped the meticulous railings of the balcony, and he felt so calm somehow.

Nature really is so amusing. You may be anywhere in this large world- with different people, cultures, just as he was now in LA's cosmopolitan society. But this serene gust of wind that surrounded him was indistinguishable with the one he experiences in London. This was the beautiful magic of Mother Nature with her delightful elements that would always reconnect everyone, every place no matter how far they might be...

But now, it was the time that they finally came together.

*****Preview to the next chapter*****

Tom put his hands in his pockets as he spoke with Ashton. But his eyes subconsciously wandered around looking for Astrid.

Astrid... Why did he suddenly want to see her? He had just met her once before and had completely forgotten about her till today. But when he came back here, ugh. She filled up his entire mind.

It didn't mean anything, she was just so intimidating and friendly... The first impression he had of her was amazing. The way she spoke and carried herself... Just like Zendaya... _'Ugh, like Zendaya?'_ Tom made a face in his mind.

He didn't hate Zendaya, but him liking Astrid because she kinda had the same persona like Z was not a good thing. Could it mean he was still not over her? _'Whaaaaat. I am totally over her. Totally.'_

Well, it was true. He was over Zendaya, there wasn't much to get over anyways. It was just a crush. Maybe he just had a thing towards strong women. Like with Stella and her sporty, strong hands... _'Ahem, I meant her personality. Not hands. Well, hands as well but mainly personality. Yeah.'_

His mind lingered upon the thought of his sexy girlfriend and the thoughts of Astrid flew off in no time.

Totally turned on now, it was time for a rendezvous with Stella. Tom smirked- deciding to leave now, and concluded his chat with the hazel-eyed man.

"Yeah. I know. Ashton, listen. I've gotta run but it was nice meeting you again. Maybe we should hang out sometimes." Tom suggested to the tall man. They had been talking for a good twenty minutes and taking the last meeting into consideration as well, Ashton seemed like a decent person. That's why Tom thought it would be nice if he and Ashton could hang out. They both seemed of the same age as well, so that's another point. _'Maybe even Harrison could join us.'_

Tom's privacy was no issue here since Ashton was working at a high post and obviously knew the importance of any celebrity's private life.

Plus, it could never hurt knowing someone from the business field on a personal level.

"Sure man. That'll be great." Ashton agreed and Tom gave a smile while nodding.

"It's a date then." A voice spoke from behind Tom, and his heart rate spiked.

_'Oh lord, she's here...'_

* * *

**-28 May 2020**


End file.
